“WHAT HAPPENED”

“Eli, what happened on this test?”  I asked our 10 year old as he came home last week after school.  Most of the time he is an a-b grade range kid on his tests, especially in Math or Science.  So when he tanked on a test a few weeks back it caught Lindsey and I’s attention.  Trying not to be to upset I sat him down to ask what happened.  “I’m sorry dad I just didn’t study for that one.”  Now at his age, you have to understand that the teacher even gives them study guides to go over, to prepare for the test.  At times his teacher will even highlight what will be tested.  So I simply asked about that to, “didn’t you have your study guides?”  Looking embarrassed and not really sure what to say, “Yeah, but I just didn’t read them.”  You could tell in his face that he knew we were upset, even sensing our disappointment.  In an instant I remembered growing up myself and that feeling, my dad never really had to raise his voice, his disappointment was enough to bring about conviction and change.  

As I walked away from that conversation and thought about how we handled it God really started working on my heart.  He had me start thinking about life being like that test.  How many times in life are there faith moments that we go through and for the most part we can say we are an a-b student.  We can hear God’s voice, sense His conviction, because we are studied up; prayed up.  If we are honest, there are also times we can look at our lives and go, “Yeah I tanked on that one.”  Then if we think back we can know that we “tanked” because maybe we hadn’t spent time in His word for a few days or had skimped out on our prayer time.  Maybe we even can look and know we failed for a season because we had given up meeting together or being part of a church.  It may not seem like much at first, but then like our grades, our decisions begin to snowball and before we know it we are looking wondering how to dig our way back out.  Thank God for His grace, that when we finally come to our senses and admit our failures he is faithful and just to forgive.  

Now God also sent me down another rabbit trail thinking about life as like a college exam.  Your professor walks in and tells you that in two weeks you have an exam coming up to go over what you have learned so far.  He even takes you though the text highlighting all the questions and giving you the answers.  The exam comes along and you absolutely bomb it.  I mean to the point that Dr. Duhicky calls you in.  “Didn’t I give you the answers?  Didn’t I prepare you, I even highlighted everything.”  Smugly you respond, “Well you see doc, I know you gave me all of that, but honestly I just don’t read.”  Shockingly your professor looks at you just shaking his head saying, “I am not trying to fail you, I want the best for you.”  Can you imagine with me standing before God one day looking back at your life and Him going, “Your life was like that test.”  How many of us go through life wondering what God desires of us or what His will is, and we always seem to be searching.  He is simply responding, “I wrote it down for you, I even highlighted it in red for you.”  Yet for many of us we are like that college student going, “but God, I just don’t read.”  

God has so much more for us, He desires us to know Him and His plan.  How many of us are missing out, because we aren’t making the time to read.  I know it might stretch you, challenge you, but I truly believe God still speaks, when you open up His word.  If you struggle to understand, seek a mentor.  If you have failed before, confess it, seek His grace and start again.  But one thing I can tell you, it is God’s word above all else that stands forever and will change the direction of your life.

Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of the Lord stands forever.